


Knock Before You Come In!

by SonicoSenpai



Series: Various Lamento One-Shots [17]
Category: Lamento -BEYOND THE VOID-
Genre: Anger, Disappointment, F/M, Ladies first, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Missing Scene, Negotiations, Original Universe, Rage, Spoiler-ish, Throwing Things, brothel, character interactions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-19
Updated: 2019-01-19
Packaged: 2019-10-12 19:52:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,540
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17473934
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SonicoSenpai/pseuds/SonicoSenpai
Summary: This piece was written for the Ladies First! Anthology, dedicated to the female characters in BL visual novels and games. I’ve linked to the published piece below, as it’s filled with lots of wonderful artwork as well.This small piece is a missing scene from Lamento - Beyond the Void on Rai’s route, and possibly slightly spoilerish. If you haven’t played it all the way through, perhaps read this afterward.





	Knock Before You Come In!

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Ladies First](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/450497) by Collaborative Work. 
  * Inspired by [Illustration: Mana - for Ladies First collaboration](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/450500) by foxyladycpz. 



> Written from Mana’s perspective, this scene describes when Rai first meets Mana at the brothel, where he is looking for information about the demon who took his eye.
> 
> BTW—this version contains references to cats being in heat. I was asked to remove those references to make it safe for all audiences, but I think this one flows better and makes more sense. I’ve changed the rating to mature for that reason. For Ribika’s sake, teens should never hear about mating cycles. It sure wasn’t on my mind as a teenager! ;)

“Haven’t you heard of knocking?” My voice may sound shrill, but I have every right to be upset. I don’t care _what_ kind of client you are—it’s impolite to barge in on a lady, especially at this establishment! And especially during this season! I’m not in a state ready to entertain—not this close to the peak of my heat, at least.

Well, technically, I am—but I prefer to work up to my current state of undress rather than flaunting all my goods in this black and red negligee that shows off my curves in all the right places. Usually I am at least wearing a robe!

My ear-splitting protest doesn't stop the door from swinging open, however, and standing before me is a lovely specimen of a cat, the likes of which is rarely seen in my place of employment. I'm so shocked to see someone of his caliber here, in fact, that I'm about to forgive his impolite intrusion.

He's tall and slender, and upon further inspection, incredibly muscular. He must be Setsuran, with that build. He has the most gorgeous hair—long and silver, shiny and well-groomed. His fur is long and white, with a long bushy tail that is swaying slowly back and forth behind him. Plus, he's extraordinarily well-dressed in expensive-looking black and blue leather armor. His skin is quite pale, and his face handsome. Although he wears a black eyepatch over his right eye, the other is a striking pale blue.

And lucky me: from his scent, I can tell he is close to the peak of his heat. It's my business, after all, to notice these things. I lick my lips in anticipation. My day is looking up: since males in heat can be brutal; but this one—I like the look of him, and I'm awfully close to the peak of mine—or rather, I could be, with the proper motivation. He is extraordinarily attractive.

"Are you Mana?"

My gods! Even the sound of his voice matches his cool demeanor—not at all like the slimy, old rich clients I usually entertain.

"I am, in fact," I say, posing myself daintily on the bed, showing off my cleavage. I simply cannot believe my luck! I usually hate the mating season with a passion, ending up having to take a few days off to recover from its violence, but this season is going to be fantastic! This client is well-groomed, well-dressed, sexy, good-looking, with an amazing voice—and calm. Sure, his manners may be lacking, since he didn't even know to knock—but hell, beggars can't be choosers! And he's asked for me by name! What more could I want? "Please, join me." I pat the bed beside me and ruffle my feather boa invitingly.

"That won't be necessary," he says, coldly.

"Excuse me?" I must have misunderstood. Does he want to do it standing up? Or does he want me to come on to him? Perhaps he's never done this before? Could I be his first female? I'm about to show him a time he'll never forget! Adding silkiness to my voice, I ask, "Are you a shy one?"

"That's not it." His gaze, oddly, remains directly on my face—on my eyes, to be precise, which is an awfully strange feeling. Usually, the males who visit me let their eyes crawl all over my body. His eyes don't do that—not even a little. "I'm here for your story, not for you."

“Excuse me?" My story? Again, I must have misunderstood. I'm terribly confused.

"That scar—how did you get it?" His voice remains cold—like ice. Strangely, there is something familiar about his voice, now that he has said more than a few words, but I'm sure I'd remember him as a client if he'd visited here before. Why do I recognize him? 

Reflexively and self-consciously, my hand touches the scar on my cheek, which is from a time in my life that I don't wish to remember. The scar on my face is my singular flaw. I am a beautiful woman—probably the most beautiful at this establishment—and I pride myself in my looks. I use makeup to conceal it, but since he barged in here without knocking, I didn't have a chance to touch up my face powder. I find myself leaping to my feet, my fur bristling in anger.

"How dare you!" I say. "How dare you barge in here and remind me about such a traumatic incident!" 

"When you were young, your village was under attack by a demon, wasn't it? You were one of the children scheduled to be sacrificed to that demon. I'm looking for information about that time. Anything you tell me would be helpful. I'll reward you handsomely, double your going rate." His tone remains even and calm, despite my fury, which only heightens my ire. 

"This is a room in which I fulfill fantasies, not reminisce about the past," I spit. "Your talk of rewards disgusts me. Are you here for sex or not? It's about the right time for it, and you certainly smell like you're in season."

I speak nothing but the truth because the fragrance coming from the silver cat is nothing but powerful and sweet. He smells absolutely delicious. Today would be the perfect day for him to indulge any of his fantasies. So what is he going on about? Rewards? My story? My scar? That horrid demon who took me captive all those years ago and I've worked so hard to forget? I still wake up in a cold sweat from time to time at night, believing I'm trapped and blindfolded in that horrible cave. 

"I told you, that isn't why I'm here," his cool voice returns. "I'm only here for information." He shifts on his feet, backing away from me. It's an odd mannerism since his tail is swaying back and forth in such a pushy way. 

He looks quite uncomfortable.

I stand up from the bed, walk over to him, and grab his collar.

"Well, you're here now. You might as well enjoy yourself." 

A small surprised gasp comes out of his mouth, and he grabs both my wrists and pushes me away firmly.

"Didn't you hear me?" His voice remains as icy as that pale blue eye. His lips look soft and plush, and I would love to feel them on my body. He cannot possibly be serious. I've never been rejected before. I'm at the peak of my own heat today, and we'd be nearly perfect together. We aren't exactly compatible, but this is my job, and I'm proud of what I do. I could make him feel really good! How dare he push me away?!

"I heard you, but you're here now. Why not sit down and enjoy yourself?" I offer again.

"That's not why I'm here. I'll keep returning till you talk. If you're too distracted to talk today, I'll come again tomorrow."

Distracted?! He can't be serious. I blink in surprise at his harsh words, watching him turn on his heel. I've never felt so angry in all my life! He would dare reject me—at my own place of business!? I pick up the closest object I can find from the vanity and hurl it at his retreating figure. 

He senses it—even without turning his head—and ducks.

What the hell? How the hell did he move so fast?!

And then, only then, do I realize what I've thrown: my favorite bottle of perfume! It’s an expensive one, at that—which shatters when it hits the wall behind him. It splashes on his cloak. Damn it!

How did he manage to evade it? He has amazing reflexes, apparently. He turns, giving me a cold, sharp look.

I bristle my fur even more.

"You made me waste an expensive bottle of perfume!” That bottle was a gift from a rich client—he will ask what’s happened to it when it next returns, and the gods only know what he will require from me when I don’t have it anymore. Damn it!

"Not my fault. You're the one who threw it," he says calmly. "I'll be back tomorrow."

"Don't you dare! You'll interfere with my business!" I scream at him. But I don't throw anything else. I can't _afford_ to throw anything else. I don't want to waste anything else on this guy.

I'm too angry, and my pride is wounded. I watch him walk out the door—specifically, I admire his lovely (prideful) ass as he walks out the door. Damn it! Damn _him_!

Why wouldn't he stay? I don't understand. He was _definitely_ in season! I park myself in front of my vanity, looking in the mirror, and examine my reflection. The scar really isn't terribly visible. In fact, my makeup does an excellent job hiding it. I pat on more powder and slip inot my robe, awaiting my next client.

My room smells bright and fragrant, from that perfume. But that is _much_ better than the powerful scent of the silver cat. I hope I never cross paths with him again. He should have learned his lesson—even if the bottle missed him!


End file.
